Prius C Owners What do you do for a living and why the C?

im self employed. I own a auto parts store for the price and what the car came with standard even a c1 there wasn t much difference in price from other cars out there .I find it funny how toyota s not even marketing the car and how well they sell, gm is spending alot on the volt and they are being out sold

 

I'm a chaplain, just took a job at a large university hospital that requires a 120 mile roundtrip commute. (Moving not an option at this juncture.) Financed a bit over half of the red C we just picked up a few hours ago ... even with a car payment, which I've never had before, I'm still coming out on top considering what I would have been spending in gas, not to mention the reliability / hooray-I'm-not-using-so-much-damn-gas, environmental/ethical side of things.

 

I am a retired Supervisor with the Mo. Board of Probation and Parole. Bought the car because I am a tightwad who hates putting gas in a car, at today's prices. And, our GMC motorhome only gets 8 mpg so this will off set that some.
Dan

 

I'm not an owner yet but am waiting on a habanero C3 with moonroof and alloy wheels to show up in the southeast.. Got a call today from the dealership that there are none coming on the next ship so I am now considering buying in a different part of the country and driving back.

I own a band instrument repair company in the Atlanta area. I have spent the last four years doing pick-ups and deliveries in a 2002 Toyota Tundra that gets 14 MPG. I typically spend $700+ per month on gas however I found that 90% of my trips could be facilitated in a small hatchback with folding rear seats and therefore will end in substantial savings for my business..

 

Job: Thoracic Surgeon
Commute: 8 miles each way
Previous car: Rousch Mustang Convertible
Why? I need something reliable that I don't need to go to a special dealership to service. Doctors don't make what they used too, I have tons of loans to pay off and buying the Mustang was not a smart purchase. Finally, I HATE going to the gas station. I only got 180 miles on my 16 gallon tank before. Now I get 400+ on 7.5. I save about $3.50 to $4.00 per day on my commute now. I do miss that tuned exhaust rumble though...

 

I'm a call center trainer for a bank. I had an '02 Mazda Protegè that was in awful shape. It was constantly in and out of the mechanic, and I just got fed up. Shopped around for hatchbacks and the c had the best score among the models I looked at. I was looking for good fuel economy, good style, and the right balance of tech. The Prius C two was exactly what I was looking for.

 

My husband and I are both in school right now. He is Computer Engineering major. I am majoring in Electrical Engineering with a focus on Alternative Energy Sources and minors in Mathematics and in Climate Change. Do I really need to explain why the hybrid? We chose Prius C over regular Prius mainly because of the cost. But I also think it's a little cuter because I love how compact it is. We carpool together to our university with about 33 mile commute round trip, but we have to drive through downtown Seattle rush hour stop-and-go traffic, which is just a gas eater for non-hybrids. I am so happy about how much we are saving on gas now.

As about financing, we got it through our local credit union for lowest interest rate they offer.

P.s. One of the classes I will be taking next quarter will talk a lot about hybrid cars. Can't wait!

 

College Student / Full Time Pizzaboy

Habanero Two

In January, I handed down my beloved Scion xA to my 17 year old brother, and replaced it with a 2012 Impreza. Terrible MPG vs posted numbers and the the seat aggravated a degenerated disc in my back, causing crippling sciatica. Knowing that I would be taking a several thousand dollar negative equity hit, and having been happy with Toyotas in the past, I bought the C a few weeks ago. Driving for a living, the MPG difference from my Impreza is saving me $60-75 PER WEEK.

 

Approaching retirement in 36 months after a 35 year career serving my country in federal service. The C just makes sense with the commute I presently have. And I like the idea of rolling into retirement with a car that averages 50 mpg since I enjoy traveling. I also own another Toyota product which is a Tacoma 4x4 double cab. I grow blueberries so I need the truck and i like keeping the miles down by driving the C. Planning to add a Prius V or standard Prius when we replace my wife's Accord.

 

Manager of a small franchised pet store.

Last car was a 09 Honda fit which I hypermiled the crap out of. When it was murdered I looked at the new Fits... they just seemed low tech compared to other car. Looked around and decided a fully loaded Prius C was just what i needed as it has cool tech and i would REALLY be about hypermile it. MPG is a big deal to me as i drive about 400 miles a week. Plus it looks just like my old fit. Some people still dont know i have a new car lol

 

Position: Contact Solutions Team Lead
Why C: Price, Gas Mileage, geeky car which has all the right technology for me. Got great financing deal and took a C3 for 23,900 OTD.

 

Job: IT professional
Commute: 28 miles each way
Previous Car: 2009 Toyota Corolla, roughly 34 mpg (gave to my wife)
Why C: Today is my 4th time to refill my tank and I have maintained 61~63 mpg pretty steadily. It means I save almost $70~80 a month on SoCal gas price.

 

military, going to hawaii soon/ got tired of my 2000 honda accord and putting money into it.

 

What do you do for a living and why did you choose the C?
Am a network support consultant, chose the C because it made a lot of sense in terms of pricing and standard equipments. Also bought the car for my parents and they have to commute 400kms weekly for my mom to get to the hospital for her regular check up. My old car they used was a 1.2L Renault Clio engined local car which gave great FC but it was a bit smaller and it has no airbags or abs and other safety features. Was looking for another compact comfy enough for 2 people and with better FC and better safety. Did have a look at the Insight, but the looks was a no-go. The CRZ looks nice but 2-doors were not convenient in case extra space is needed. The C kinda have all the stuff I was looking for at the time. 4 door compact with great FC, adequate safety features, comfortable and the pricing was worth the buy.

Did you purchase or lease? loan or cash, why?
Purchased via loan. Just paid up all my loans and the old car has already served us reliably for the past 7 years and is showing signs of age (which will cost a lot to maintain in the long run) So traded it in for a car which could be utilise for another 6-7 years.

 

Bookkeeper/Office Manager for a real estate franchisor, with a 9.7 mile (each way) commute. Needed a new car because the 10-year-old Echo was wanting me to put more and more money into it. Wanted a hybrid for the MPG and because my mother-in-law just bought a gas guzzling Rav4 and I figured we had to balance out the karma, lol. Wanted a Toyota because all my new cars have been Toyotas. Did not like the size or fit of the larger Prius, and truly hated that center console which creates a wall between passenger and driver. Financed through Toyota as I have always done.

 

I'm a research analyst. I got the C primarily for the fuel efficiency, but I also like small hatchbacks - they're just a good size fit for me and convenient to park and I don't feel like I'm wasting resources that (as a single driver) I don't need. I used to do a fair bit of traveling - national parks, family (drive versus flying a couple states away), long day trips. My old car was no longer reliable and I also wanted to be able to do that kind of driving and not feel guilty about impacting the environment more than my "share." I priced out several cars with a certain feature set, researched real world mpg that DRIVERS were reporting (definitely not EPA ratings!), estimated my miles for my expected time with the car (at least 10 years) and depending on the average price for a gallon of gas over the lifetime of the car, expect to save $8k-$22k with the C. (my total cost of ownership analysis also included insurance estimates since I found some variability there). I just am trusting that reliability will be on a par with the liftbacks (my one big assumption, but a safe one I think given Toyota's track record).

I may be the odd one out on this opinion, but so far, I think the "sweet spot" for me with the C is not city driving, and definitely not multi-lane interstate driving, but really, it's kind of rolling, two-lane highway driving. I've put 1,000 miles (hey, I've had The Cheetoh only 10 days now!) on, mostly in national parks near me and have had some days with 200-400 miles and I'm getting 54-56 mpg without getting too hyper-miley about it. My odometer average for everything is 54 mpg right now, but I definitely don't get my best mpg in town or on I-5. Which is perfect for me, since that's the sort of driving I want to do a lot of anyway!

 

This was a great thread. As a 2010 Liftback (standard Prius) owner I could never understand why people would buy the C (close to same fuel economy as the standard Prius for a smaller car). I also felt that way about the V (way worse fuel economy for a marginal increase in space and an increase in price). To me I could only see the standard Prius as the rational option. Obviously this is my personal bias coming through.

It looks like the answer to that is that people bought the C because it had a lower purchase price, and the some people like smaller cars, and others appreciate the styling of the C, and others appreciated the marginal gain in city fuel economy that the C gives. Now I understand where people are coming from who bought the Prius C! Appreciate your answers here.

 

My wife’s 88 yr old mom decided she no longer could safely drive, so she gave us her 2013 Prius C 1, Habanero with only 11,000 miles! She has had it since new, garage stored, looks like it just came off the showroom floor, always had all the maintenance performed. This thing is fun to drive as an extra vehicle and is getting low 50’s mpg on highway, 60-70 mpg in town! Love it!

 

Job: Network Technical Specialist for a major telecom firm
Location: San Francisco, CA

Reason for buying a Prius C: I previously owned a Toyota Pickup and was impressed by its reliability. I had it for over 300K miles. It was totaled and but still running (as was I, luckily). I replaced it with a Ford Windstar minivan, which I also drove for over 300K miles and later sold. Following good, regular maintenance procedures paid off in the end for both vehicles. I chose the Prius C because it's short and narrow. I live in a 1906 building that has a really long narrow garage. I also own a Porsche which shares the garage with the Prius - tandem parking rather than side by side.

I just recently discovered this forum and look forward to learning some new tricks and techniques which will help me enjoy my Prius C.

 

I am an art historian who works in an art museum. I didn't plan on buying a C in particular, but was in the market for a used Prius. I found a 2015 C2 with 69K miles at the right price and paid cash for it. I don't use it to commute (I take the subway), but for errands and fun as well as long distance trips to see family. I live in a very congested area with perpetual traffic, so a Prius seemed perfect. I've had it for a few months and absolutely love it!